Book Review- Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried

With the genesis of the human era, the growth is defined in direct proportion to the innovation of its generation. Distinct criteria dictate so that they become the law…for the time being… but with the momentum, the laws either need to be re-defined or moderated as per the new law. This is the orbit of progress and as we generally understand... that progress keeps on thrusting ahead.

I found this book at the airport bookstall last week. The charming title “Rework” made me wonder about the kind of new philosophy of business it will be deliberating upon and this curiosity led me to yet another captivating read.

Re-work does not corroborate the same old traditional advice found in a majority of business books. It bluntly tosses out old business rules. However, the basic theme (or I should say 'law') persists i.e. the prosperity of an individual, an organization, and a nation is symbiotic with the individual aspiration which should reciprocate with the vision of the organization and thus become the key to national progress.

Re-work has chartered out the themes wherein the high time has come to re-think and re-design the working styles within the organizations as well as personal thinking. This funda of re-thinking and re-alignment is echoed from the first page of the book to the last.

The topics of my liking are those which hit and busted myths & stereotypes about the startup, business, work culture, and work-holism.

What I genuinely admired about the book is the freshness of the content, the straightforward language, and the frankness with which the book is presented. The chapters are aptly titled and the works and graphics both have conveyed what the book is intended to do- i.e. make the reader rethink and re-work the exciting style of life and work.

It is a small formal dose to remind the creative mind in us to think and act out of the box.

A few of the quotes from the book which I believe shall push you to read the book are-

“What you do is what matters, not what you think or say or plan.”

“Workaholics aren't heroes. They don't save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is home because she figured out a faster way”

“If circumstances change, your decisions can change. Decisions are temporary.”

“That world may be real for them, but it doesn't mean you have to live in it.”

“When you don’t know what you believe, everything becomes an argument. Everything is debatable. But when you stand for something, decisions are obvious.”